Contact
Rana Nawas
www.linkedin.com/in/rananawas Problem Solver in Transportation & Logistics. Board Advisor.
(LinkedIn) Keynote Speaker. Podcaster.
Abu Dhabi
Top Skills
Strategy Summary
Leadership
I've spent many years in the corporate world and loved it... I’m a
Cross-functional Team Leadership
growth driver who enjoys building trust-based relationships. My
curiosity is infinite.
Languages
Arabic (Native or Bilingual)
22 years ago, I started my career in management consulting,
French (Professional Working)
serving diverse European clients, from telcos and banks to media
English (Native or Bilingual)
companies and oil majors. It’s true what they say about English
Spanish (Limited Working)
weather, so I moved to Dubai in 2002 to help the government attract
foreign direct investment. I later joined GE where I worked in various
Certifications
strategy and sales roles across four continents. From 2009-2017,
INSEAD Gender Diversity
Programme I was GE Capital Aviation Services' Regional Director for one of
Board Directorship the most volatile regions in the world, leading a $1B business.
My team was global, diverse, and virtual - together, we navigated
the Arab Spring revolutions and various currency devaluations to
keep our business profitable. I then joined the GE Aircraft Trading
business where I structured portfolios of jets for sale to investors.
For my current role, I have returned to management consulting as
a partner at Oliver Wyman, a tier 1 strategy consulting firm whose
culture of entrepreneurship and inclusion inspires me. I focus on the
Transportation sector.
I thrive in white space and have always been involved with start-
ups: from helping GE Corporate start its global desalination business
to creating a successful podcast from nothing. I enjoyed being the
Chief Revenue Officer of an innovative young logistics software
company that solves real world trucking problems. I am on two
advisory boards: a $50M fund that invests in MENA tech start-ups,
and a supersonic jet manufacturer - we’re bringing you Concorde
2.0.
In parallel, I’ve been a DEI trailblazer on a mission to help women
win. I’ve done this as a public speaker & consultant, and through my
chart-topping podcast When Women Win – a show where female
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role models from diverse backgrounds share their inspirational
stories and practical tools for success. The podcast is listened to in
183 countries, is a media partner of UN Women and has been #1
across all the Middle East iTunes charts multiple times.
I’m a quad-lingual global citizen, a retired yogini, a cross-fitter, a
cancer survivor and a water faster. I currently reside in the UAE with
my husband and two sons.
Experience
Oliver Wyman
Partner, Transportation & Services
April 2022 - Present (1 month)
United Arab Emirates
Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices
in more than 70 cities, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge
with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management and
organization transformation.
Firms and governments need to address issues that are tougher and more
urgent than ever before. Oliver Wyman’s promise to deliver breakthrough
impact through collaboration has resulted in 76% of our clients saying we have
more impact than other management consulting firms.
As a partner in the Transportation practice, my role will be to lead teams of
passionate problem solvers and deliver breakthrough impact to Oliver Wyman
clients across aviation, maritime, rail and the entire transportation ecosystem.
Oryx Fund
Advisory Board Chair
June 2021 - Present (11 months)
Houston, London, Abu Dhabi
In February 2021, international investment firm Hambro Perks launched the
Oryx Fund, a $50m venture fund focused on early-stage start-ups across
the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The Oryx Fund is backed by
prominent regional and international investors, and our mission is to be the
“gold standard” venture partner in MENA.
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As Chair of the advisory board, my role will be to champion innovation in the
region and introduce to Oryx potential ecosystem partners: entrepreneurs,
investors & co-investors.
Exosonic, Inc.
Advisory Board Member
June 2021 - Present (11 months)
Houston, Los Angeles
Imagine cutting your long-haul travel time in half, so that 10 hour sectors
take just 5 hours... We are developing a new standard for travel with our low-
boom supersonic jet capable of cruising at Mach 1.8 overland and comfortably
carrying 70 passengers.
When Women Win Podcast
Founder & CEO
October 2017 - Present (4 years 7 months)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
* Keynote Speaker: hired by Fortune 100 companies to galvanize their
organizations.
* Strategist: hired by Fortune 100 companies to build their DEI capability.
* Podcaster: created the When Women Win podcast to give people across the
world access to female role models. #1 on iTunes, featured on CNN, media
partner of UN Women, When Women Win is listened to in 183 countries.
Velostics
Chief Revenue Officer
August 2021 - March 2022 (8 months)
Houston
Velostics is a logistics Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company specializing
in automating manual and paper-based truck scheduling, check-in and order
entry processes for terminals, warehouses and plants. The Velostics® AI
platform automates communication between carriers and facilities systems
and logistics teams to schedule, check-in, and load vehicles faster and error-
free. The location-specific Velostics Pass™ technology and QR code enables
required shipment data to be exchanged contactlessly and eliminates delays
and paperwork from check-in, shipping and receiving process. Velostics
solutions have a proven track record of minimizing delays and demurrage,
reducing errors, and increasing operational efficiency and throughput so that
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companies may achieve strong ROI in just a few months. To learn more,
please visit www.velostics.com.
GE Capital
10 years 11 months
Senior Vice President, Aircraft Trading
September 2015 - November 2017 (2 years 3 months)
Dubai
Led GECAS' asset sales strategy in the region: orchestrated the exit of an
entire aircraft type from our fleet; structured and executed the sale of two large
portfolios to investors for tens of millions in gains.
Senior Vice President, Aircraft Leasing
January 2007 - September 2015 (8 years 9 months)
Dubai
Responsible for growing all GECAS business in Turkey, North Africa &
Lebanon.
- Managed over $1B in assets
- Pioneered new markets; eg, executed first ever aircraft lease in Libyan
history, put first ever 737 into the Congo, etc.
- Launched new products; eg, engine substitution, airports
- Acquired new customers
- Built customer loyalty
- Led a diverse, global and virtual team.
Maintained profitability in this highly volatile region despite revolutions, terrorist
attacks and currency devaluations.
GE
ECLP (Experienced Commercial Leadership Program)
November 2004 - January 2007 (2 years 3 months)
Dubai & Washington DC
At the time, the ECLP program was GE's premier talent development program
for experienced sales and marketing professionals. Rotated across multiple
GE Businesses (Water, Energy, Corporate & GECAS) in different strategy
roles at GE.
Dubai Holding
Senior Strategy Associate
November 2002 - October 2004 (2 years)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Worked in the strategy department of Dubai Holding, to attract foreign direct
investment (FDI) to Dubai. Developed a comprehensive FDI Policy Plan that
resulted in multiple strategic initiatives, from revamping the legislative process
to improving the financial reporting environment in Dubai.
McKinsey & Company
Business Analyst
August 2000 - July 2002 (2 years)
London, United Kingdom
Consulting projects involved helping: a global bank offshore its IT service
center, a telecom operator retain mobile phone customers, a Govt entity create
value for the public and a print publisher remain profitable.
Learned how to: give and deliver feedback; work in a team; break complex
problems down into bite size chunks; present a business case in a succinct
and structured manner; pitch to executive leadership.
Education
University of Oxford
BSc & MEng, Engineering & Materials Science · (1996 - 2000)
Harvard Business School
Decision-making & Negotiation · (2011 - 2011)
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
Mini-MBA, Business · (2000 - 2000)
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